Heiðurinn er mikill.

to be

Breakdown of Heiðurinn er mikill.

• mikill: large
• heiðurinn: the honor

Questions & Answers about Heiðurinn er mikill.

Why does heiður become heiðurinn here?

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

• heiður = honor, glory (indefinite)
• heiðurinn = the honor, the glory (definite)

The ending -inn is the masculine nominative singular definite article here.

So Heiðurinn er mikill uses the definite form: the honor is great.

What gender is heiður, and why does that matter?

Heiður is a masculine noun. That matters because adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since heiðurinn is masculine singular nominative, the adjective also appears in the matching form:

• mikill = masculine singular nominative

If the noun were feminine or neuter, the adjective form would be different.

Why is it mikill and not some other form of the adjective?